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C-1 Vest Impulse Buy


mohawkALSE
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Decided to finally add one of these vests to my survival equipment collection. I more so got it for a post war item since I know at the very minimum there is a few versions of these vests and this appears to be a late one. Ive seen a number of these vests on display at the Museum of the USAF in Dayton in the Korea-Cold War sections. They do have a F-4 pilot setup from the early 60s showing this vest worn as well. Can anyone tell me what year the contract is for? I was able to open all the snaps with none failing on me. All pockets are labeled as well as numbered on the inside.

 

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The C-1 vest is actually very well made, I would wager that even today they would stand up to some abuse.

You indeed do have one of the late production C-1 vests, I'm curious to what the inside pockets say? this will help date it even further. This pattern of vest went into production in the spring of 1945, your contract being awarded in January of that year. NO C-1 vests were manufactured after WWII and remained on Standard status with the USAF until 1953. So yes, it would be typical to see these in use well into the 1950's and wouldn't be surprised to see them in use into the 1960's. However, the components would be significantly different, probably more streamlined and newer made materials.

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Thanks for the response. Pocket 14 is marked: MOSQUITO HEADNET, BANDAGE, GOGGLES, TISSUE, CANTEEN, INST. BOOK and then pocket 15 is marked: HAT, GLOVES, GAFF ASSEMBLY

 

Here are a couple pics I took a few years ago with my phones camera at the Museum of the USAF in Dayton, OH. The 2 vest pic is in the Korean War area, and its interesting the information on it mentions that they were carried in a bag attached to a parachute harness. Ive seen that topic come up here before and saw it mention in Brueninger's book. Also the second pic in the flight gear evolution section showing a F-4C pilot circa 1966 wearing the C-1 under the PCU-3 torso harness.

 

 

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Okay, your vest is one of the very last production prior to the cancellation of the contracts and VJ-Day.

This is an interesting example, like Follow the Money, Follow the Information (trail). In most all references, to include Brueninger, and the museum utilized the book by Sweeting. His books have had the most significant relevance to most all USAAF published material. The museum and other references simple repeat the information Sweeting put into print. Whomever did that display probably exclusively used his books for referencing, he did work for NASM.

Museum renditions are sketchy, I wouldn't take much as gospel. How many times we see major errors in displas ?

What I'm driving at here is that we have a consistent repeating narative, you say it enough it must be true! Right! You compile all the statements about the bag you'll find it derives from one single source, Sweeting!

Out of the reference books out there, very few, only a handful are actually original works. The bulk merely incorporate or paraphrase other sources. Over time, one copies one, another copies another, like a food chain.

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Its very true, I wouldn't take any displays as actual fact. If it was actual pictures from the conflicts then I would take it more seriously. This was a pic below the Korea display C-1 vest showing contents used then I believe. As you said, in post WW2 use contents changed as newer stuff came out etc. I'm pleased with this vest, didn't cost much and its mint. Its funny as IDK if an older gentleman had it for years as they claimed it sat in a closet for 40 years, but the scent on it smells just like my grandfathers tailor shop smelled 20+ years ago. Weird flashback. He had lots of materials similar to what is used on these vests in his shop. He was also a US Army Quartermaster during the war. Ill never forget there was a leather flyers helmet in there and I have no idea what happened to it. I kick myself in the rump all the time I recall that.

 

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PASGT, I cannot answer your question on that one. Hopefully some Vietnam enthusiasts can. In my mind, if you did see an image of that, it would be a one-off anomaly.

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So this morning i was going through my photo archive and came across these images from the Korean War (53-54) era relative to this thread.

By this date a new superseding line of sustenance kits had been adopted, namely seat kits for ejection seats. If you note in these images you see components that were standard for the C-1, what was retained is considerably streamlined. Though no C-1 vests are pictured, because the items are likely stored in a seat kit, they could be stored in the vest.

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​Unfortunately in this image the labels are way over sized obscuring some items, some C-1 items can be observed such as the fishing kit and sun hat, I'll wager the first aid kit and insect repellent are too.

 

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excellent pics

 

In #13 I see the flashlight has the extension on it...I thought that was a later mod...is this a 122D?

 

In the last pic #15

 

Is he wearing a C-1...peaking out?

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To be clear, these images are from 1950, 1953, and 1954.

The flashlight in Post #13 is indeed a TL-122D, this model of light came out in late WWII. At some point prior to Vietnam, these were replaced by the MX series.

In Post #15 that is indeed a C-1 vest.

The intended purpose here was to illustrate the post war use and adaptation of the C-1 vest and/or its components.

Also as a side note, the E-3 series and E-17 sustenance kits were still standard into the Korean era, most often modified components. In Post #13, a flask can be observed marked with the letter "A"

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This is another Jet-Age image circa Korean War. I have no context to the image but it appears to be illustrating some sort of provision bomb with various survival items. significant to note is the E-17 kit. The items condusive to the C-1 vest in the image are the sun goggles, fishing kit, rations, and survival manual

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Thanks Dustin...understood the pics were from the 50s...I have not seen a 122D with the extension.. I thought that was a later add on starting with the the MX series...

 

not intending to hijack...but any pics of the M6/ Red sled survival kit with contents...I am getting those names from the internet...a red aluminum, sled shaped container with parachute d rings on each corner

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My post WWII photographic archive is pretty limited. The pictures I have obtained have been grouped with WWII related material. So no, no pictures of the sled.

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As a sidenote,

it could be surprising that in a museum they show a 1966 character wearing a CSU-13/P anti-G pant, that started being used around late 1973-early 1974 I believe. Even its immediate predecessor, almost identical (do not recall wich one) wasn't around before the very early '70s.

In mid-60s there was only the the CSU-3/P for Air Force crews, both in its older (1st) and later (2nd) variations.

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  • 1 month later...

Thats funny, I never realized it was a CSU-13. There is def a bunch of things just pieced together in the displays throughout the SEA section. Not really sure on others as I'm only really familiar with Vietnam era thru present. I did recently go back to the USAF Museum this past weekend and came across a couple interesting photos that I took pics of. The pics are of B-66 crew wearing what appear to be a modified C-1 vest or something based off it and again claim to be 1966.

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